Resident says Park Service is acting as a detriment to tourism on the Yorktown waterfront

YORK — Issues over a delayed contract between the National Park Service and a beloved Yorktown restaurant have attracted the attention of U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman and Sen. Mark Warner.

After hearing from constituents last week, press secretaries for Warner, D-Virginia, and Wittman, R-Westmoreland, said both offices have contacted the National Park Service on behalf of the Carrot Tree Restaurant to try to resolve contract issues and expedite a new lease for the restaurant. The Park Service owns the building where the restaurant is located.

The restaurant's current 10-year contract for the Cole Digges House on Main Street will end Dec. 31 and the Park Service has yet to issue a new contract proposal. The restaurant has also been in negotiations for a contract extension in the absence of a new contract proposal. The Park Service issued a formal notice for a contract extension for the restaurant on Tuesday.

Kevin Hall, press secretary for Warner, said the senator's office has asked the Park Service "to explain the delay of the contract" and that the Park Service has indicated "they'll respond to us in a timely way."

Gordon Neal, press secretary for Wittman, said the Congressman contacted Park Service officials in the last few days after hearing from concerned constituents as well as receiving a formal request for assistance from the owners of the Carrot Tree.

Neal said Wittman's office learned on Tuesday that the Park Service planned to offer a 12-month extension to the Carrot Tree with the same terms as the restaurant's current contract.

Issues to resolve

Glenn Helseth, general manager of the Carrot Tree, said Wednesday that although a 12-month contract extension is an improvement over an earlier offer of a nine-month extension, there are still some significant issues that need to be resolved to keep the restaurant from closing.

According to a notice from the National Park Service, the contract extension would be for up to one year or until a new contract is executed. The problem, Helseth said, is that the extension would not guarantee him 12 months at the Cole Digges House. He said conceivably the Park Service could accept a contract bid from another business and evict the Carrot Tree before the end of 12 months.

"In the event that a contract is executed (with another business), I have 60 days to vacate within that 12 months," Helseth said. "We just feel they need to assure us of a 12-month extension, no ifs, ands or buts."

The Park Service on Tuesday also issued a notice of a contract extension for the Yorktown Shoppe, which is also located on Main Street.

Linda Bennett, owner of the Yorktown Shoppe, said she has no interest in signing an extension.

Bennett signed a 12-month extension after her original contract ended in 2011. She and her husband want to sell the business in its location on Main Street and agreed to the extension last year to wait for the Park Service to release a new contract proposal so they could work with a potential buyer to pursue the contract.

"We have a potential buyer but until they know something about the terms of the contract, I told the person myself you'd be a fool to commit to something you don't know about," she said.

Concession plan

Bennett and Helseth have good reason for being concerned about the contract delays and what a new contract might entail. They said another business on Main Street called Period Designs closed a few years ago after contract issues with the National Park Service.

The building remained vacant for an extended period of time after two contract proposals failed to bring in a new tenant. Helseth said the Park Service eventually brought in Eastern National, a nonprofit organization that supports the Park Service, to operate the Sommerwell Market.

Helseth and Bennett worry the contract delays could be a move by the Park Service to replace their businesses with retail stores operated by Eastern National. According to Eastern National's website, the organization is the "cooperating association" for more than 150 national parks.

Ethan McKinley, chief of concessions for the National Park Service Northeast Region, in an interview last week said the Park Service has "no plans to partner with any particular operator to provide concessions services."

It's unclear when the Park Service will issue new contract proposals for the two buildings. On Wednesday McKinley said that prospectuses for both locations are "in development, but no release date has been set at this point."

Ending tourism?

York resident Lois Winter was among the local residents who sent letters to both Wittman and Warner supporting the Carrot Tree and the Yorktown Shoppe. Winter said she is encouraged that a 12-month extension has been offered to the restaurant and is hopeful that Warner and Wittman can help resolve the issues.

"Carrot Tree is a huge draw," Winter said. "It is very well loved by locals and tourists. It should be in the interest of the Park Service, I would think, to encourage tourism. By closing down these businesses, they're ending tourism on Main Street."

While Bennett is sad about the closure of her own business, which shuts its doors Saturday, Dec. 22, she agrees that losing the Carrot Tree would be devastating for historic Yorktown.

"It's a draw for the entire village," she said.

Helseth called the public support for the Carrot Tree "very gratifying."

He said an aide with Wittman's office has told him "they intend to continue working" to help his restaurant. He is hopeful there will be a positive resolution.